Space Exploration Timeline

Sputnik 1

Oct 4, 1957

Russians launch the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.

Sputnik 2

Nov 3, 1957

A dog named Laika becomes the first living creature sent from Earth into space, aboard Russia's Spuntnik 2.

Explorer 1

Jan 1, 1958

Launch of the first US satellite, Explorer 1.

Luna 3

Oct 4, 1959

Russian probe Luna 3 sends first pictures of the far side of the moon.

Mercury Rocket

Jan 31, 1961

NASA launches a chimpanzee named Ham into space aboard a Mercury Rocket.

Vostok 1

Apr 12, 1961

Russian Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space in a 108-minute flight in Vostok 1.

Freedom 7

May 5, 1961

First American in space (Alan Shepard) in Freedom 7.

Friendship 7

Feb 20, 1962

First astronaut to orbit the Earth (John Glenn, USA) in Friendship 7.

Mariner 2

Dec 27, 1962

NASA's Mariner 2 scans the surface of Venus.

Vostok 6

Jun 16, 1963

Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, aboard Vostok 6.

First Space Walk

Mar 18, 1965

Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov makes the first space walk.

Mariner 4

Jul 15, 1965

Mariner 4 flies by Mars.

Luna 9

Feb 3, 1966

First Moon landing (By Soviet spacecraft Luna 9.

Apollo 1

Jan 27, 1967

A fire on the launch pad of Apollo 1 kills three US astronauts.

First Death In Space

Apr 24, 1967

First death in space (Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komorov).

Venera 4

Oct 18, 1967

Soviet craft Venera 4 lands on Venus.

Apollo 8

Dec 21, 1968

First crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon (Apollo 8).

First Step On The Moon

Jul 21, 1969

US astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon.

First Vehicle To Drive On Moon

Nov 17, 1970

Russian rover becomes the first vehicle to drive on the Moon.

Salyut 1

Apr 19, 1971

Launch of first space station (The Soviet Salyut 1).

Pioneer 10

Dec 3, 1973

First space probe to fly by Jupiter (Pioneer 10).

Mariner 10

Mar 24, 1974

First space probe to fly by Mercury (Mariner 10).

First Spacecraft Docking

Jul 24, 1975

First US and Soviet spacecraft docking (Apollo/Soyuz).

Viking 1

Jul 20, 1976

First successful landing on Mars (By space probe Viking 1).

Pioneer 11

Sep 1, 1979

First Saturn fly-by (Pioneer 11).

Columbia

Apr 12, 1981

First space shuttle launch (Columbia).

Voyager 2

Jan 24, 1986

First Uranus fly-by (Voyager 2).

Challenger

Jan 28, 1986

Space shuttle Challenger explodes during launch, killing all seven crew.

Mir

Feb 20, 1986

Launch of Russian space station Mir.

Halley's Comet Fly-By

Mar 13, 1986

First fly-by of Halley's comet (By European space probe Giotto).

Voyager 2

Aug 25, 1989

First Neptune fly-by (Voyager 2).

Discovery And HST

Apr 24, 1990

Space shuttle Discovery launches the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

First Part Of ISS Launched

Nov 20, 1998

First part of the International Space Station (ISS) launched.

Climate Orbiter

Sep 23, 1999

Mars Climate Orbiter disappears after orbiting Mars.

Polar Lander

Dec 3, 1999

Mars Polar Lander disappears, creating further embarrassment for NASA.

Mir Abandoned

Mar 23, 2001

Mir space station abandoned and crashes off the coast of Australia in the Pacific Ocean.

First Tourist In Space

Apr 28, 2001

First tourist in space (Dennis Tito).

Columbia

Feb 1, 2003

Space shuttle Columbia explodes on re-entry killing all seven astronauts.

Mars Rovers' Land

Jan 4, 2004

Twin Mars Exploration Rover missions Spirit and Opportunity land on Mars.

First Landing On An Alien Moon

Jan 14, 2005

After descending by parachute for 2 hours and 28 minutes, the Huygens probe lands on Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

First Commercial Orbit And Return

Dec 8, 2010

A company called SpaceX becomes the first private company to launch a spacecraft to orbit and return it safely to the Earth.

New Horizons

Jul 14, 2015

First Pluto fly-by (New Horizons).